


Too Hot To Be Out Hunting

by Catnip_3



Series: Merlin Angst & Hurt/Comfort [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Am I Right? :D, Delirium, Guilty Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hallucinations, He Learned His Lesson, Heat Stroke, Hot Weather, Hunting Patrols Gone Wrong, Hurt/Comfort, Merlin Is Delirious, Merlin Is Having A Bad Time, Mud, No water, Oblivious Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Spoiler: Merlin Tries To Eat Mud, Sweat, he feels really bad, kinda disgusting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:46:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27964775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catnip_3/pseuds/Catnip_3
Summary: Arthur drags Merlin along for a hunting patrol even though it's too hot to be anywhere outside. Of course because of his royalty Arthur has enough water to last him for years but Merlin is a different story.He needs water to the point where he doesn't care where he finds it anymore... will Arthur finally notice his suffering man-servant?
Relationships: Gaius & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Angst & Hurt/Comfort [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048090
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Too Hot To Be Out Hunting

**Author's Note:**

> **Hello my dear readers! I have another injured Merlin for you because I just can’t get enough of it.**
> 
> **This confirms that I’m definitely making this a series but it’s not gonna be regular; I’ll post new one-shots (Maybe Two-shots) whenever.**

‘Please Arthur, let’s take a break!’ Merlin begged the king for the upteenth time. 

Once again he received no response except the steady clomping of the horses’ hooves as they trampled through the forest.

He had been drug along for a hunting trip in the peak of summer, Arthur desperate to get away from the castle even if for a small while.

They were at least a half a day’s away from Camelot and Merlin desperately wished they would go back by now. Merlin’s canteen had run out a while ago and Arthur refused to share one of his. 

Any nearby streams and rivers had dried out because of the summer heat, leaving the boys to depend only on their canteens. Merlin only had his one canteen, borrowed from Gaius while Arthur had at least four, all made out of the finest materials. 

The sun continued to relentlessly beat down on the pair, the heat making Merlin feel dizzy and sick.

Suddenly, Arthur stopped his horse and held up his hand signalling for them to stop. The sovereign quickly got off his horse and grabbed his crossbow, he then briskly walked into the dry and shriveled ungrowth; not even taking a moment to wait for his manservant. 

When Arthur had stopped Merlin also stopped but took a lot more time to get off his horse, the task seemed much harder than usual and his body felt slow and sluggish. He knew the dehydration was affecting him more than he’d like to admit and that feeling this dizzy and weak meant trouble. 

Instead of following Arthur into the trees he decided to stay with the horses but the truth was he didn’t know if he could walk any farther than a few paces. He felt like he was floating, the heat still struck down on him and he’d never felt this hot in his entire life. 

He blinked and suddenly the world was twisting and warping around him, lights and color making his already nauseous stomach roar. He took a stumbled step forward, collapsing to the ground with a thud not even a moment later. 

He managed to save his head, weakly holding it up; his body felt as if the sun had drained all of his energy. 

His eyes started to slide closed without his accord but panic did not overwhelm him, instead the feeling of unquenchable thirst took over his thoughts. It was all he could think about, the feeling and taste of water and how much he wanted just a drop of it. 

The urge to try and find any source of sacred water was what drove Merlin to open his eyes, squinting against the bright sun. 

With a stroke of luck, Merlin didn’t even have to move before he found a puddle of the delicious blue liquid. It seemed to beckon to him and Merlin weakly propelled himself towards the puddle, arms grasping the dirt and legs kicking, like a toddler learning how to crawl.

After a century he managed to get his head over the puddle and didn’t hesitate for a moment before he stuck his head in, taking in big gulps. The liquid soothed his burning and raw throat, he had never felt so content in his life. 

The water swarmed around him like a comforting blanket and Merlin welcomed it happily. He felt his body relax, muscles untenseing and he continued to drink copious amounts of the heavenly liquid. 

He felt more at peace than he ever had before, body relaxing further until he felt like a melting pile of goo. There was a feeling of weightlessness that he never associated with water but somehow it was there; like he was flying. 

His mind was fuzzy and if he wasn’t busy drinking this amazing water he would’ve had a lazy smile plastered on his face. His mind seemed to fade farther and farther away, straying away from him until all he thought about was the cooling liquid… he didn’t even think of fighting it; instead he welcomed it with open arms. 

Then, in a blink of an eye the feeling was ripped away from him cruelly. He felt his body be manhandled until he was laying on his back, he was ready to glare at whoever disturbed such peace but the glare quickly melted into confusion. 

A shadow was blocking the sun; it outlined the figure like a golden halo and he could easily make out who it was, their eyes seemed full of horror but he had no idea why.

\--

Just below him, on the ground with half-glazed eyes lay his manservant and best-friend. Merlin was covered in mud and it oozed out of his mouth lazily and he breathed. 

The younger man’s body shook as if shivering but Arthur knew it was impossible to be cold in this kind of weather. 

He had gone to investigate a sound in the undergrowth, thinking it was a deer only to find out it was nothing. He gritted his teeth at the unluckiness and turned around ready to lash out at his manservant, only to find out Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

A strike of worry and concern passed through him and he quickly walked back to the horses. He expected to see Merlin standing next to them with a goofy smile and endless positivity but what he saw would be stuck in his mind for years to come. 

Merlin was a little off to the side, frantically shoveling mud into his mouth in a crazed way that Arthur had never seen before. In shock and disbelief the crossbow fell from his hands and he stood there uncomprehending what his friend was doing. 

Merlin’s movement became weaker and he almost seemed to collapse, as if all the energy had drained from him. This made Arthur jump into action and quickly turn the manservant on his back so he could breath. 

That’s how he had come face-to-face with this imitation of Merlin because Arthur refused to believe this was his witty best-friend. 

Merlin stared at him for a moment until his eyes fully glazed over and shut, the manservant falling unconscious before Arthur’s eyes. 

He panicked in a kingly sort of way and tried to think of what to do. It was clear that Merlin couldn’t breath and then the idea hit him face-first, as gently as he could he opened Merlin’s slack mouth and stuck his hand in, scooping out some of the mud.

He did this multiple times until Merlin’s body unconscious started to cough and struggle against the foreign substance. He turned Merlin to his side, hoping it would ease his breathing.

Arthur knew that he needed to get Merlin to Gaius as soon as he could, he had no idea what had come over his manservant and drove him to do such a thing. 

He made sure Merlin was still unconscious and quickly went to the horses, guiding them next to the unconscious man. He grabbed one of his full canteens and looked at it with uncertainty, he wanted to clean out Merlin’s mouth but was also scared he’d choke on it. 

Deciding against it, Arthur easily picked Merlin up and put him on his horse, tying the manservant’s horse to his. 

With one last looked around the area he mounted his horse and kept a firm hand on Merlin, who lay on the beast like a corpse. 

\--

The ride to Camelot didn’t go quick enough and as time ticked by Arthur’s heart beat faster and faster. Finally, he could see Camelot’s beautiful towers in the distance and even though his horse was exhausted, he pushed her harder.

The horse obeyed, galloping at full speed towards the kingdom and Arthur was grateful for the well-trained horse.

Citizens gave him weird and curious glances, but quickly resumed to their days as the king raced past. He rushed into the courtyard and quickly unmounted, carefully taking Merlin’s body off as well.

He held Merlin bridle style and rushed into the castle towards the physician’s chambers. No one was there to greet him and Arthur figured it was because they weren’t supposed to be back until hours later. 

He burst into the chamber and Gaius looked up from the herbs he was tending to, startled. Sweat dripped down the old man’s brow, the room was unbearably hot and all of the castle was suffering from the heat in some way or another. 

His eyes landed on Merlin and he moved towards the cot. ‘Set him down on the cot sire.’

Arthur obeyed and set Merlin down but held his hand tightly, reluctant to let his friend go. 

Gaius was already moving around, one look at his poor ward and he seemed to know the issue. 

‘What’s wrong with him Gaius? I found him eating mud!’ 

‘He’s dehydrated. Has he drunk any water recently?’ Thick swamps of guilt coursed through Arthur’s veins and he thought back to when Merlin asked for water and he ignored him. 

‘N-no.’

The lines of worry on Gaius’ face deeped and the news. ‘The heat has made him hallucinate, he was so thirsty I fear he thought the mud was water.’ 

‘What do we do?’ Arthur stood up now, ready to do anything necessary so help Merlin. 

‘We need to get water in him and keep him cool.’ 

Arthur nodded and went to the door, catching the nearest servant and ordering for buckets of water to be brought up. While Arthur got extra water, Gaius used the little they had in the room to try and get an unconscious Merlin to drink it. 

It was easy to get the water in the boy's mouth and while Gaius was reluctant to let the boy swallow more mud he knew that Merlin needed water and now.

Merlin’s reflex kicked in when the water entered his mouth and his body automatically drank it. Arthur watched from the side, now after calling for water he felt useless, guilt still coursing through his veins and different ways to make it up to his friend passed through his mind

Maybe in the past, Arthur wouldn’t think about apologizing to the servants but years later found him a changed man, a man Merlin helped create. 

As if sensing Arthur’s uncomfortableness Gaius handed him a cloth, the king only looked at it with confusion.

‘What do I do with this?’ 

‘When the water comes up, dab the water on his head to try and cool him down. He is way too hot.’ Arthur nodded, happy to help. 

It didn’t take long before the buckets of water were brought up and Arthur made quick work of dipping the cloth in a bucket and dabbing it on Merlin’s forehead. He felt no shame in taking care of his best friend and did it with the gentlest of touches, scared Merlin would disappear in front of his eyes if he wasn’t careful.

Together, Gaius managed to get a healthy amount of water in Merlin and Arthur kept him cool throughout the day. 

The sun was setting by the time Merlin stirred, Arthur - who was still dabbing the cloth on his head - jumped up and set the cloth down. 

The manservant blinked open his eyes and looked around, growing when he saw ARthur’s concerned and relieved face. 

‘Arth’r?’

‘Hello _Mer_ lin.’ The tone wasn’t mocking, only full of brotherly affection and relief. 

‘Wha happn’d?’ While Merlin was coherent, he still wasn’t back to being his old healthy self. 

‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you later. For now, drink this water.’ Arthur grabbed the cup next to the cot and helped Merlin drink it. 

After Merlin drank all he could, Arthur helped him settle back down on the cot. Arthur had gotten a simple wooden chair and brought it next to the cot, they sat in silence for a little while until Arthur could bear it no longer, guilt still coursing through him. 

‘I’m sorry.’ 

‘For what?’ After the drink, Merlin was finally able to talk properly and not feel like cotton was in his mouth. 

‘For dragging you out there and then refusing you water. It was wrong of me Merlin and I hope you can forgive me one day.’ Arthur had a solemn face full of regret and sorrow, his hands folded together and twitching nervously. 

Merlin couldn’t help but smile and Arthur just looked at the smile dumbly.

‘You’re already forgiven.’ 

‘But-.’

‘You’re forgiven, Arthur.’

Gratitude showed in the king’s eyes and he stood up, clapping Merlin’s shoulder. 

‘You should get some sleep.’ He murmured out.

Merlin didn’t reply, closing his eyes and falling into a peaceful slumber quickly. 

While Arthur still felt horrible about what he had done, he felt a cool sensation of relief wash over him. 

Merlin was alive and alright and Arthur promised himself he’d never let this happen again. 

A sudden, amusing thought entered his mind and Arthur smiled, even chuckling out loud. 

Merlin truly wasn’t safe in any of the seasons, he’s either freezing or burning to death!

**Author's Note:**

> **The End!**
> 
> **Yes, these are all from the same universe but you don’t have to read every single one, there may be slight mentions of them but nothing big :)**
> 
> **I really liked making this one and am also happy that this is gonna be a series! I have some good ideas for injured Merlin >:D Mwahaha **
> 
> **Sincerely,**
> 
> **Catnip? No Way Man.**


End file.
